The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1887-02-19
SUPERSTITI0NS OF ENGINEERS
Railroad Men Who Obey Omens-The
White Rabbit-A Pilots Story.

| White Rabbit-A Pilots Story.
From the New York Mail and Express.
Railroad engineers, as rule, are q
superstitious class OF PERSONS" said
an old railroad man. "They have
| foolish fancies, and attach Importance
to signs and warnings; but l know OF
instances where hundreds OLIVES have
been saved by engineers fancies and
superstitions. For over thirty years
| | have been a railroad conductor, and
| during that time / have seen and
! heard many things that under ordi-
nary circumstances l would have dis
credited. One OF tbs best engineers
| that ever ran on the West
| Shore Railroad WAS q man named
| Bronson. One morning, just be-
| fore starting time, while he sat chat
| ting with the fireman, the engine bell
suddenly rang out three times. AS
neither the engineer nor fireman had
touched the bell. and as no other per-
son was on or around the engine, the
men felt troubled over the strange cir
cumstance. They regarded it as an
i'll omen, and both men were filled with
dread. The train started on it's jour
ney and mile after mile was travelled,
| the engineer meanwhile keeping an
| anxious lookout for danger. When
| within an eighth OF mile of ROCKY
cut the bell again, apparently Of it's
own accord, sounded three ominous
notes, clear and distinct, The engi-
neer, beside himself with terror, e1-
claimed: My Gcd, Bill! It's warn
ing OF some great danger, and believe
it's our duty to stop. Pm goin' to
shut her down if lose my place by it,
| The train came to sudden standstill
and within ten feet OF the engine, lying
across the track, was great rock,
several tons in weight, which had be-
come loosened by q recent storm and
! broken away from the great mass
above. A terrible calamity was
| averted and hundreds of lives saved.
"And now I'll tell you OF another in
stance" continued the same speaker,
"of how an engineer lost his life by not
needing voice OF warming One OF
the most careful and trusted engineers
on the road was James Welch. One
morning his wife noticed that he was
not in his usual cheerful frame OF mind,
and questioned him about it. He
told her that he was not i'll, but he
said he had premonition that he
would be killed during the day. His
wife, being sensible woman, did not
sneer or laugh a. his fears, but begged
him to stay at home that day. WEIGH,
who was a disbeliever in signs and
omens, laughed as his fancies and
went to his death. Two hours later
the engineer was lying, crushed to
death, at the bottom OF deep ra-
vine."
Eyes, ] know such things to be
true" said another man. "Silly as it
may seem, wouldn't run train aft
! ter seeing white rabbit cross the
track, without stopping first to in
vestigate, ii were to be made presi-
dent OF the road l remember one
| dark night we were scooting across
the country at a pretty lively rate,
when, all Of q sudden, | saw g white
rabbit dart across the track just in
ront OF the engine. The white thing
gave me such look in that brief Sec
ond that something compelled me to
stop the train. The conductor and
train men came rushing up to the en-
| CINE to find out the cause OF our sud-
| den halt, and it didn't take long to
find out, either. Only a few feet ahead
! on the track were some heavy logs.
| They had most likely been placed there
and tied down by tramps, who, in the
confusion of a frightful accident, such
as would have taken place if hadn't
stopped the train, would have robbed
and plundered the dead and dying
| passengers"
An old Hudson River pilot, who had
been an earnest listener, said:
81 am assured OF one thing. know
the longer a mans experience is as
boat pilot or engineer on a railroad,
the more easily deluded he becomes,
especially is this the cease with steam
boat pilot or engineer who has expert
enced an accident ntailing heavy loss
OF life. A man loses faith in himself,
and dark shadow in the water will
often cause pilot to pull bells for
stop. Several years ago, when the
magnificent steamboat, Thomas Cor
nell, which at that time piled betwee1
Rondout and New York, ran ashore
so that its bow nearly touched the
Hudson River Railroad track, a pas.
senger train came darting round
curve in the road, and seeing light at
the bow of the boat, the engineer mis-
took it for the headlight OF an engine
which he easily imagined was close
upon him, and the terror-stricken
man fell to the floor unconscious.
Oueer Eacrs AhOut Ants